Board of Trustees

MET Board of Trustees is made up of the founders and past presidents of MET. Their job is to ensure the organization is moving in the right direction and that its programs are aligned with its mission statement and its roadmap as a moderate mainstream Muslim Sunni organization, that is inclusive of all. The Board of Trustees meets annually with the Board of Directors.

Mr. Wajdi Said Co-Founder, President of MET

Since coming from Yemen to the US in 1988, Mr. Said has worked with the Muslim community as well as the larger community to promote a better understanding of Islam. He has been involved in numerous interfaith committees and panels throughout the years. He is one of the founders of the Interfaith Council of Greater Portland, an organization which came together as a result of 9/11, as well as one of the founders of the Arab, Jewish Muslim Dialogue, The Institute for Christian Muslim Understanding, Islamic Social Services of Oregon State, and the Beloved Community Coalition. Mr. Said is a commissioner with the City of Portland New Portlander Policy Commission, and serves on the board of Neighborhood House, Portland State University Middle East Studies Center, and the Arab and Muslim Police Advisory Board. Mr. Said has spoken at countless colleges, high school, organizations and churches, promoting a better understanding of Islam and Muslims. He currently serves as the President of the Muslim Educational Trust, (MET) which he co-founded in 1993.

Ms. Gail Ramjan Co-Founder, Former Principal of the Islamic School of MET

Ms. Ramjan is one of the founders of MET and currently serves as the Assistant Director. She has been involved in the World Affairs Council speaker’s bureau as well as MET’s speaker’s bureau for the last ten years. Gail served on the Management Team of ISMET, the Islamic School of Muslim Educational Trust. She is on the Board of the Institute for Christian-Muslim Understanding and the Board of the Interfaith Council events and exchanges.

Mr. Ramjan is a naturalized American citizen who was born in Zimbabwe, Africa, and is one of MET’s founders. He attended OIT (Oregon Institute of Technology), Klamath Falls, Oregon Campus. He earned his MBA from Marylhurst University and is currently working on his PhD with the University of Leicester in the UK with a focus on Knowledge Transfer. Mr. Ramjan serves on the Portland Police Chief Forum and the Arab & Muslim Police Advisory Committee (AMPAC). He is also a member of PACE (People of all Color and Ethnicity) travels extensively to all parts of Asia and Europe.

Imam Muhammad Najieb Imam of the Muslim Community Center, Former MET President

Mr. Najieb is currently the resident Imam (spiritual leader) for the Muslim Community Center in Portland. This is in addition to working for over 20 years as a Dispatch Supervisor for Petroleum Products throughout the Northwest. Mr. Najieb is a past-president of the Muslim Educational Trust and a long-time worker for the advancement of Islam and Muslims in Portland.

Mr. Rebai Tamerhoulet Former MET President, Inspector for the State of Oregon

Mr. Tamerhoulet is a structural engineer by profession who graduated with a Master’s Degree from the University of Washington. He worked for KPFF Structural Engineers for five years before he joined the State of Oregon, Department of Building Codes. Mr. Tamerhoulet was the Chairperson for MET Board of Trustees for three consecutive years. He worked tirelessly to establish the Muslim Educational Trust Center. In addition to being a Board Member, he volunteers his technical background for many projects within the Oregon Muslim community as well as the community at large. He has been involved in the technical aspects of the Muslim Educational Trust since the early stages and he is now in charge of the development of the master plan.

Dr. Waleed Qaisi Radiologist

Dr. Qaisi is a board-certified Radiologist working in Portland for the last four years. He received his medical degree in 1994 from the University of Kentucky and completed his residency training at St. Elizabeth's Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio in 1998. Subsequently, Dr. Alqaisi finished a one- year fellowship in Emergency and Trauma Radiology in 1999 which was immediately followed by a two-year appointment as an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee at Memphis. Since moving to Portland, he has been an active member of the Muslim Educational Trust and was elected to the Board of Trustees two years ago.

Mr. Akram Saadi Businessman, CEO of Balhaf Oil Company

Akram played an instrumental role in founding the Muslim Educational Trust. With his business mind and educational background, he was able to contribute his expertise to the well-being and long-term sustainability of the organization. He has his bachelors and masters degrees in Electrical Engineering, and worked at INTEL and IBM for 20+ years. He is a long-term vested partner, and currently serves as CEO of Balhaf Oil Company.

Board of Directors

MET Board of Directors oversees the daily operation of the organization and reports to the Board of Trustees.

Mr. Wajdi Said Co-Founder and President

Since coming to the US in 1988, Mr. Said has worked with the Muslim community as well as the larger community to promote a better understanding of Islam. He has been involved in numerous interfaith committees and panels throughout the years. He is one of the founders of the Interfaith Council of Greater Portland, an organization which came together as a result of 9/11, as well as one of the founders of the Arab, Jewish, Muslim Dialogue, The Institute for Christian-Muslim Understanding, Islamic Social Services of Oregon State, and the Arab and Muslim Police Advisory Board. Mr. Said has spoken at countless colleges, high schools, organizations, and churches, promoting a better understanding of Islam and Muslims. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Muslim Educational Trust (MET) which he co-founded in 1993 on a volunteer basis. In addition, Mr. Said is the President of BiSTCo Inc., an international trade development company that exports and imports goods, services, and raw materials between the Middle East and various markets in North America.

Mr. Jahed Sukhun Vice President

Mr. Sukhun serves as Director of IT at Oregon Food Bank. Previous to his current position, Mr. Sukhun was the Director of User Support at Portland State University for fifteen years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Information Systems and a minor in Business Administration from Idaho State University. Mr. Sukhun is a dedicated Board Member at MET and also serves in MET’s Education, Outreach and Scholarship Committees.

Ms. Sahar Bassyouni Secretary/Treasurer

Ms. Bassyouni holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Previously, she held the position of Senior Programmer Analyst at the City of Portland, Water Division. Ms. Bassyouni currently serves on the school management team of the Islamic School of MET and Oregon Islamic Academy.

Ms. Rania Ayoub Member

Ms. Ayoub is the Director of Public Relations at the Muslim Educational Trust. She graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1996, majoring in Mass Communications and minoring in Business Administration. She has since broadened her knowledge by acquiring a post graduate certificate in Multimedia Communications, and applied this knowledge professionally, working in Graphic Design, Web Design, and Desktop Publishing in Cairo, Canada, and the USA.

Mr. Jawad Khan Member

Mr. Khan joined the MET team as a volunteer 14 years ago. He graduated from Portland State University in 2000, and has been teaching language arts, humanities, political science, and economics at the Islamic School of MET and Oregon Islamic Academy for the past 10 years. Mr. Khan serves in MET’s Outreach and Scholarship Committees and has recently been appointed College Guidance Counselor at Oregon Islamic Academy.

Mr. Bashar Wali Member

Mr. Wali is the President of Provenance Hotels, overseeing strategic initiatives, acquisitions and development, deal analysis and projections, capital deployment, financing and lending, tenant relations, lease negotiations, non-hospitality activities, such as retail and overall real estate activity. Prior to joining Provenance, Mr. Wali served as Vice President of Grand Heritage Hotels where he spent the last three years helping the company expand in North America. He has also worked for Wyndham International, Sheraton and the Flatley Company in several senior management positions. With a degree from Johnson & Wales University with a B.A. in Hotel Restaurant Institutional Management and more than 15 years of industry experience from acquisitions and finance to operations and technology, Bashar leads the growth of Provenance Hotels ensuring strategic success for the company’s portfolio.

Mr. Ibrahim Turki Member

Ibrahim Turki is a Professional Civil Engineer and currently holds a Senior Project Manager position with Washington County, Oregon. In this role, Ibrahim leads teams providing multi-modal transportation projects within Washington County. Mr. Turki is the Co-Chair of MET’s Technical Committee and is in charge of overseeing the development and implementation of the MET Community Center.

Mr. Bambang Suparjo Member

Mr. Suparjo is a Senior Corporate Applications Engineer at Mentor Graphics Corporation and Chair of IEEE 1149.4 Mixed-Signal Test Bus Working Group, with a Ph.D. in Electronics from the University of Southampton, United Kingdom. Bambang Chairs the Indonesian-Malay Muslim Community of Greater Portland (otherwise known as the USRAH group).

Ms. Nima Mohamed Member

A graduate from Lewis & Clark College, Nima majored in Communications. Nima is on the Lewis & Clark Dean's Honor List. She launched an MSA at Lewis & Clark and is a recipient of the Black United Fund of Oregon Scholarship. She is a well-decorated member of the first seniors graduating class of Oregon Islamic Academy. She displayed exemplary leadership and community service and was a member of the Tsunami relief Flight of Friendship MET delegation to Japan in May 2011.

Mr. Salahuddin Kadri Member

Mr. Salahuddin Kadri is the president of i-TEN Associates, a company specializing in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), aerial maps across Oregon state and parts of California, and auto CAD drawings of various buildings and structures. Mr. Kadri is a long-time member of our Portland community and MET's Local Advisory Board. Originally from Ahmed Abad, India, Mr. Kadri was inspired by the work and legacy of his older brother, and has sponsored the MET library in his loving memory. Mr. Kadri is married to Betty, his wife of 30 years, and has two grown children. Mr. Kadri brings a lot of energy and valuable insights into every meeting, and has provided wonderful support to MET over the years. In his words, Mr. Kadri says, 'MET is one of the Islamic organizations that takes a proactive role in the community. The leadership at MET, the board, and the staff are extremely well-engaged in the community and I think this is outstanding. I am always bragging about how well we are doing in the Muslim community in setting an example for others.' We are thrilled to have Mr. Salahuddin Kadri officially serve as an MET Board Member.

Dr. Nadjoua Moumen Member

Dr. Nadjoua Moumen earned her Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University in New York. She moved with her family to Portland in 2006, and is presently working at INTEL as a Lithography Process Development Engineer. Nadjoua's professional career started as a Principal Engineer in the Nuclear Research Center in Algeria, after which she pursued a second career as an Oil engineer in France, Spain, and Portugal for Schlumberger Wireline and Testing. She would later attend Clarkson University and obtain a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering followed by her Ph.D. Nadjoua is a parent of two children who have been attending the Islamic School of MET for the past 2 years. She is a very positive and committed parent. As a new MET Board Member, she looks forward to working with our youth to best prepare them for a fulfilling professional career by mentorship, early goal-planning, and execution.

Mr. Anwar Bashar Member

Anwar Bashar is a partner at Bashar & Johnson, P.C. Certified Public Accountants. He has over twenty-five years of experience in public accounting, including three years with an international accounting firm. His professional background includes engagement management, audited, reviewed and compiled financial statements along with the preparation of corporate, partnership, subchapter S, trust and individual income tax returns. Anwar offers various management advisory services for business and tax planning, employee benefit plans and in-house accounting solutions for simplified financial operations. In addition, he provides litigation support services including expert witness testimony in financial matters to major law firms in the Portland, area. He provides services to clients in the construction, manufacturing, technology industries, non-profit organizations and a variety of other business entities. Anwar graduated from Willamette University in 1971 with a Bachelors Degree in Economics and received his Masters in Business Administration degree from Portland State University in 1976. He teaches Principles, Managerial and Cost Accounting classes at Portland Community College.

Local Advisory Board

MET Local Advisory Board is comprised of experts in their fields who assist where needed in their areas of expertise to promote MET’s agenda and mission statement.